Select the main focus

Duplicate the photograph layer and by using your favored selection tool  or as I have done it below carefully erase  around the portion of the image which will not have motion blur.

Cloning the background

On the orignal background using the ‘Clone Stamp Tool’  clone away a portion of the subject all around its edges. Don’t worry about being too neat as the rest of the process will obscure it. This will ensure that portions of the subject don’t bleed into the background when the motion blur is applied.

Time to apply the motion blur

{FILTER > BLUR > MOTION BLUR}

I used a setting of 0′ angle and 60 pixels in length for this photograph have a play to see what looks best for your photograph.

Add motion blur

Now make visible your hidden subject back on top of the blurred background.

 Touching up the transition area

Merge your background and focus layers and touch up the area between the subject and the blurred background with the blur tool . This will help reduce the sharpness of the transition.

Photo by Guerito

Big thanks everyone who entered our photo manipulation competition it was in the end a close run thing with Chantelle Barnard-Ranch coming in second with 30 votes and Damian Hughes winning with his Medieval castle entry with 31 votes.

Chantelle Barnard-Rance

Original Photograph

1. Jadah Williams

2. Naomi Kent

3. Leigh Hoyte

4. Michael Leeson

5. Joy Fortuna

6. Damian Hughes

7. Chantelle Barnard-Rance

8. Phil South

9. Emma Carr

10. James Gregory

To win this Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch I am holding a photo manipulation competition. The photo below has been chosen for you guys to use and manipulate at your own discretion, you can do whatever you want to it. Add photographs, effects, anything you can dream up to create your final composition.

The competition ends August 1st, ensure all entries are submitted by email to harry@fordoing.co.uk before this date.

Once the entry date has passed, the entries will be posted for public voting. The manipulation judged to be the best by everyone will be selected as the winner.

You can download the full size image below. Looking forward to seeing all of your entries, have fun!

Photo manipulation competition entries are now live for voting! http://t.co/savx6JZ

Photograph by: Barry Skeate

Luca Pierro

Kevin Schere

Erik Johansson

Richard Angus leonard

Peter Cakovsky

Jeanyves Lemoigne - *Fordoing favourite of the week*

Brett Sargeant

I decided to browse around the internet for more abandoned theme park photography to see what discoveries I would make. I was surprised at the amount there actually was! As you’ll see below, the photography I found is quite post apocalyptic.

Six Flags New Orleans – photos by smwarnke4 & Liquorhead

Since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 Six Flags has been left slowly rotting, decaying, and sinking into the swamp-land it was built on just outside of the city.

Okpo Land, South Korea – photos by Streetbeat85

Okpo is located on a little South Korean Island called Geoje Island. In 1999 Okpo Land was shut down because os a series of accidents. After the second fatal accident where a young girl was killed after she was thrown from a ride, the park was shut down. Below you can still see the derailed car from which the little girl was thrown, very sad indeed.

Chippewa Lake, Medina County - photos by history_buff_23

Chippewa Lake park is hidden on a lakeshore in Medina County. What you find today is the tragic shell of a once glorious family fun park. It has become totally overgrown with trees growing around and in-between the old amusements. It operated from 1878 through 1978, after the final owner, Continental Business Enterprises closed it due to lack of attendance. After the park’s closure, its rides and structures were left largely untouched and unmaintained for the next 31 years. The movie ‘Closed for the Season’ Shot scenes here in 2010 so I’ll have to rent myself a copy of that to watch.

Nara Dreamland, Japan – photos by girlonawire

Nara Dreamland was a theme park near Nara in Japan built in 1961 and closed permanently in 2006. The entrance to the Nara dreamland park was designed to look almost identical to Disneyland, including the Train depot, a Main Street, U.S.A. and the familiar Sleeping Beauty Castle at the hub.

Spreepark, Berlin – photos by Sebastian Niedlich

Spreepark was an amusement park in the Berlin district Treptow-Köpenick formerly part of the GDR-controlled East Berlin. It was well-known also under its earlier name Kulturpark Plänterwald.

Since 1999 the park had to cope with large debts. They increased the admission fee to 30 DM per person and a lack of parking space contributed to a drop in visitor numbers until in 2001 only 400,000 visitors entered the park and it was closed down.

If you have visited and photographed any abandoned theme parks recently be sure to contact me to be featured in future posts.

I would Just like to say a big thanks for all of your kind comments over the last few months. Thanks to all the sites for linking with my blog also. I am Glad you have enjoyed seeing the film sets progress and will try to get myself over Bourne woods one last time before I am no longer allowed.

Vegetable patches have been planted and keeps for animals have been put up within the centre few houses of the set.

Check out the Robin sitting on the defenses. Thought it was quite nice and slightly ironic.

14th June 2009

It has been an extraordinary experience “living” in Nottingham village most days and I’ve hated coming back to London. We have animals there and this week the soldiers turned out in force and it all came truly alive.

As I originally expected the huge structure at the top of the hill they have been building is now being covered. As you will see from the pictures it is turning into quite the castle! Painting work has been added to the stonework making it look pretty awesome. Everything I now see about this film makes me want to see it more, very exciting! I know Ridley Scott will not disappoint I watched for the umpteenth time the other day the Ridley Scott’s cut of Kingdom of Heaven. A great movie.

Funny story actually in the 3rd picture down there is a Charles Morris waste management container. Well good old Charlie Morris is my Great Uncle. Don’t see him much but my nan visits him all the time. Him and my Grandad set up the company  ‘Charles Morris’ after the Second World War.